Raid #16 [Plot]

[Larxene]

Destiny Island has been attacked by Light.

Light Group | Attacking:

Sora [Leader]
Axel
Roxas

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The Dark has ten days to get a team together to counter this attack or the Light will have a claim on the world! Light, feel free to post here. Another post will be added when the Dark gets a Raid Group, or if the Light has won the world! Keep an eye out!

[Larxene]

A Dark Group of Three has Countered the Attack!

Dark Group | Defending:

Kefka [ Leader]
G-Slayer
Emil

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Posting Order: Emil, Axel, G-Slayer, Sora, Kefka, then Roxas.

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If no winner has been decided by January 11th, then a staff member will review and decide the winner!

Remember the Rules!! - [RULES HERE]

Let the Battle Begin!!

[emil]

Darkness.... That is what greeted Emil everywhere as she stood upon the sandy beach, watching the water of the sea slam into the beach sides roughly as the wind blew and tugged on Emil's scarf lightly into the air. Her hair being ruffled by the wind and a sigh passed her lips as she tighten the grip on her sword that she held by her side.

A world like this... it didn't fit with the darkness at all, in fact... This world was probably peaceful before the darkness took over, before.. her master took it over. This was the reason why Emil came to this newly dark world, because her master had told her to check this place. To make sure this world... and it's lost beauty... stay to the dark side, to defend it just in case light users came by to claim it theirs once more.

Surely Emil was hesitant at first, but when she realize if she became stronger in using the darkness within her... if she fought against the light, maybe her brother or that kidnapper would appear before her in some manner. Just maybe... After all, this would be her second attempt to bring a world to darkness, another try... wouldn't hurt... right?

Heh... some King I turn out to be, I'm willing to give myself to the darkness just to be stronger, brother... Emil thought within her mind as she gazed up to the sky, hoping for some clear blue skies to lift her spirit in some way, but was only greeted by the dark clouds that loomed above her. Her eyes closed at this realization and allowed herself to enjoy the breeze the wind was giving off, allowing her thought to be set free.

No worries, no regrets, she couldn't turn back now.

"I'll do whatever it takes..." Her eyes reopened, speaking to no one in general as she stared out toward the ocean before her. Faintly wishing to see this ocean in it's bright blue colors but knew it wasn't possible now. She will keep this world into darkness, to find her brother, to just be with him. Was that too much to ask...? Emil shook her head slightly to herself before speaking to herself once more.

"Just to put the light out." Continuing the sentence she started just a minute ago before looking pass her shoulder, to see if anyone had shown up in any way or tried to sneak up behind her.

[axie]

Axel specifically chose a position closest to the heart of the world to step out of the darkness there, wanting to get an idea of the damage dealt so far. The concept of Destiny Islands succumbing to darkness wasn't real in his head, but he knew it had crumpled before, and the heart sealed away behind the cave door didn't drop any hints. Still, it told him Sora had probably taken that blade of his to this Keyhole and that would stabilize the world.

For a little while, anyway.

The second Axel set foot outside of the portal, he almost wished Destiny Islands would stop existing right there.

The islands reeked of darkness, of course--he could hear the Heartless skittering in the shadows even if he couldn't see them--but it was also swept with memories. Every corner of this cave was full of them, real ones, and almost every surface had been scratched over with pictures--some scratched out or altered, all of them laughed over and shared and loved.

This place alone dwarfed the significance of the clock tower in a heartbeat.

Axel reached out to call a portal. Let the islands fall to darkness--he didn't even want to see the rest of them with that thought in his mind. He owed Sora nothing--Sora owed him more than the boy would ever know, and--

He stopped.

Between his flared fingers, the cave drawings of what were no doubt Sora and Kairi--hair clipped by one finger and shortened by another--looked almost like Roxas and Xion.

What would they say?

Axel dropped the arm with a sound between a growl and a scoff, not keen on imagining either the disappointment in Roxas's eyes or the quiet hurt in Xion's. Not real, but they're better artists than you guys anyway, he thought petulantly at the cave drawings, no longer Roxas and Xion but unquestionably Sora and Kairi now. Sweeping his hair under his hood and turning his eyes into alien embers, he headed out of the cave to get started.

If I die here, Roxas is takin' one right in the schnozz.

[gslayer]

Silently a lone presence stood in the tree house. A man in a red and black coat and white hair stood there as if he was dead. The copy was standing and resting, he was one of the two of the darkness to take over the world. It was the world he had awakened in and he had yet to find his way out of the world. Now it was shrouded in darkness, he seemed to find his way better. All its inhabitants and the light that existed there was now gone. Fled or erased. The copy was made by Dr. Hollander and Genesis. He was a copy of Genesis himself and knew little other than obeying orders. Once a member of SOLDIER, he had fallen to a mere copy of the 1st Class SOLDIER. Perhaps it was an improvement in some way, but whether the result was good or not...

The copy slowly came in movement, raising his head and his weapon from the ground. The large gunblade seemed unwieldy and hard to fight with, but he had proven himself to be a quite able fighter having taken on two knights at once. He had only little special abilities, but they would perhaps improve. He was a copy and resembled Genesis a lot, as such there would be expectations that he would become more equal to the man he was made after.

A foot stepped forward. A strange sensation went through his body. Then it vanished. The sight and the feeling of the S Cells were gone. The one carrying S Cells was no longer there, somehow the copy knew this. He needed to find his way back, back to Shin-Ra and to his masters. To destroy the corporation they fought against and to end the degradation. His white hair made the copy look older than the man he was a copy of. The copy walked through the door he had destroyed when he had gotten there and stood there still as he saw some movement on the beach.

[Sora]

"This can't be... my island..."

The once aqua blue of the waters had been replaced with a dark purple taint, the landscape of the palm trees and vegetation ripped asunder with shadows lurking in their folds, the darkened sky swirling above with an ominous vortex. A cold chill swept through the destroyed landscape of what had once been Destiny Islands, now merely a corrupted shadow of what it once was. Dark palm fronds hung overhead the shadowy entrance to the Secret Cave, where the heart of the world lay, and a special drawing that still lay the closest of all to Sora's own heart was now eclipsed in the world's shadow. Finally, the pure white sands of the beach itself was cracked into pieces by the darkened earthquake which had fragmented the very coastline where three people - of two different groups - had once shared special, fond memories.

Those memories, too, had also been shattered into pieces...

Footsteps of the unmistakable yellow and black shoes stepped onto this very sand, as Sora looked upon once again at the ravaged landscape that was his home world, his island once again in darkness. His keyblade seal on the door protected the heart of the world, as deep down it's light would never go out... but the world taken by darkness looked just the way it had when he had come across it facsimile in the End of the World. Like everything he had done to save it and protect it had meant nothing, only for it to become undone by the darkness once more. It took him a moment to take it in as he looked around, a grim expression on his face, almost in disbelief of it all. This couldn't be happening... he had gone so far to protect the other worlds to help his friends, his home had become a target to the darkness.

Where would it all end?

Suddenly, the island itself shook as if in an earthquake, as the entire island split itself in two. The secret cave tunnel remained intact, but the cavity where Sora had once before fought a Darkside Heartless and then Ansem again tore apart, leaving nothing but a darkened maw withing the folds of where trees full of life had once been. The shaking had been so violent, Sora had sunk down on one knee into the sand, until the tremor had finally stopped. The keyblade master took it all in, before an object in the sand had caught his eye, right next to where he had put his hand into the sand to steady himself. It was unmistakable of the footprint left behind by the shoe, he had seen it so many times left behind in the sand when they had been on the beach together, that his sky-blue eyes had to look over it to make sure they weren't lying to him.

She had been here, not too long ago, and now the darkness could have taken her as well as the island...

His blue oceanic orbs moistened, and finally it was the last straw for the wielder of the Kingdom Key, and something snapped deep inside his heart where he felt the connection had been weakening. His hand scrunched up the sand in his fingerless glove, and then tightened into a fist, squeezing the sand out and punching it violently hard into the ground so he could feel it hit something, anything. No, it can't be... he had gone so long without seeing her or Riku, but no matter how much he missed them it seemed like fate wanted to keep them apart once more, as if to punish him for letting them go their own seperate ways. He had to find them, even if it was hopeless, and restore his island... no. Not his island.

"This... is our island!!!"

His angered, defiant tone echoed across the beach as he looked up, and at that moment spotted a young kid with blonde hair, blue eyes and odd clothing, but perhaps not so much stranger than his. Her appearance did little to soothe his anger, more-so than mollify him however, when a moment later a door leading from the treehouse was destroyed and out came a man Sora had never seen before. He looked deathly, though, with white hair and carrying a large gun. A large gun-blade like weapon, on closer inspection, but right then and there Sora didn't care. He only cared it had been a weapon that just carelessly destroyed a part of his island.

Energy burst across his form, and reaching breaking point, shattered off his entire body as his back arched into his new form weaving an aura around him.

His black, yellow, blue and red clothing was replaced simply by white upon black clothing, with large thorn-like symbols appearing on his sleeves and shorts. His anger overriding his initial shock, which only fueled his adrenaline more, he watched as a familiar keyblade replaced the keychain of his Kingdom Key. The black and white design of Nobody thorns and a certain checkered design emblazoned into into the shape of the keyblade, the blade-like weapon extending out of his right hand, as Two Become One came into existance. In his left hand, as chakrams burned their design into the blade and hilt of the second keyblade, the red and white Nobody spikes of the Bond of Flame appeared in his left hand. Sora could feel their presence now, their friendship empowering the connection in his heart even in the supposed absence of theirs, as his Final Form became complete as it shone off his body.

"Give me strength!"

The two keyblades floated out of his hands and cross behind his body, and with surging power and unbridled fury in his heart, he charged the antagonist with the gunblade while floating across the sand and unleashed Auto Assault upon him, his keyblades rotating forwards to attack him in a simultaneous one-two slash attack.

He would take their island back... for his friends... for her.

His light.

(OOC: We should go all out as we never can get into the battle in a raid, even if we try to finish it as an epic thread, as Larxene will cut in at some point to lock the thread for judging. So I hope Final Form is okay, because Two Become One's passive Light and Dark ability forces Sora to go into either Final or Anti form. And since Sora draws power from his friends, he should wield the two keyblades that represent them. Power doesn't always win raids anyway, so let's have fun with this. xD)

[kefka]

Kefka lived and breathed destruction.

Stating that fact was akin to remarking on the slipperiness of water or commenting on how real estate agents always bilk you more than they should. But the problem with trying to create a proper profile on the mad clown is that that one sentence alone would suffice. Nothing more had to be said of his cruelty or his spitefulness or the degree of insanity he lived in. Anything else uttered in that same breath would be redundant or just mere padding. Kefka Palazzo was nothing more than an utter perversion of nature, always craving for the ultimate distortion of existence, basically the lack thereof. Nothing makes him happier than the sight of a world laid waste, a complete destruction of the pristine and orderly, breaking down laws and reason with a careless flick of the finger. Everything was a house cards, precariously built and designed to be appealing yet ever so fragile. It was his job, no his duty, to burn it all down.

This time, however, someone did it for him.

A name like Destiny islands pretty much spoke for itself. Kefka expected the worst: a bright, gaudy beach filled with happy locals basking in the brilliance of the sun. The colors of the world brought out in sharp focus. A general sense of happiness and peace with tropical islands in the background. How he hated such fantasies. How he longed to destroy such nonsense. Places like these only made him claw out his eyes before they could see more ‘beauty’. All this cleanliness makes him sick! All it does is give people false hope, making them believe in a delusion in which everything would work out and they’d live their lives happy and free without pain and hardship. To think that they claim him ‘mad’ and ‘insane’ when they themselves hide in a fantasy! They live such cloistered lives. If only he could tear down the walls of their ignorance and reveal to them the utter hollowness of their so-called existence. If only he could drag them out and throw them into the fires, making them accept the meaningless of resisting. They don’t need to live in fear of hardship when they could all join him and live the rest of their lives free of their constraints. If not, then they could all join the rest in oblivion.

But no, the place Kefka found himself in was not the bright center of joy he had expected. In fact, it turned out to be a rather miserable place. A dark pallor hung over the atmosphere, physically tainting the air with the scent of darkness. The sky was a tumultuous riot of dark energy, a storm of fear and despair. Instead of leafy palm trees, blackened shadows grew in their place. A sea of purple and black barricaded the island. Even the sand itself was spoiled, twisted and cracked beyond all recognition. The place had once been beautiful, that much was certain but all beauty had been choked out, replaced halfheartedly by impenetrable darkness. This world had been carved hollow then filled again to the brim with darkness.

In the face of such horror, all Kefka could do was laugh.

“HehehehehehehahahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Kefka was done playing games. He had toyed with the residents of previous worlds before, bored and confused for most of the time. He had let adversaries walk away with barley any scratch on them. He had wandered for quite some time now, lacking a purpose and direction. All that was finished now. Seeing the utter corruption around him made him feel so small and inadequate. Why hasn’t he done this before? Why did he skip and saunter through worlds deserving of destruction with nary and blow struck or a massacre committed? He wasn’t like this! He was better than the namby-pamby clown of the past. Before, he was feared, respected and worshipped! Now, he was treated as a joke, a fool in yellow and polka dots, no mere threat. Not anymore. That ends here.

“NO MORE!” Kefka shouted triumphantly to the heavens, a smile wider than any smile he had worn before on his lips. The skies answered with a rumble of thunder and doom, a signal of things to come. Kefka dialed down his mirth, his mouth finally settling on a sinister leer. He directed the magic in the area and floated high up in the sky for a better vantage point. Fingers twitched and tingled at the thought of unleashing terror upon the world once more. He could barely keep them under control but he had no intention of doing so. Power must not be constrained. It must be let loose and be allowed to work its wonders. Unconsciously, Kefka began gathering magic towards his fingertips, forming a small ball of energy that would create a powerful Ultima spell. It did not matter what he destroyed as long as something was consigned to the remainder bin of history.

And yet, fate seemed to have allowed him a target of higher caliber.

Kefka saw a bright dazzling light blaze on the beach below and squinted. Was it just his imagination or did he just see a familiar, doofy-looking kid wielding not one but two gigantic cartoonish keys? Does the brat follow him wherever he goes? Why couldn’t he just leave Kefka be? Him and his hairdo has annoyed him for the very last time! Kefka brought the blue-black orb in his right hand closer, just to stare at the contours of power rippling across the surface. All it needed was just a bit more power and he wouldn’t have to worry about the key-wielding brat anymore.

“Perfect,”

[roxas]

Darkness - the place was suffocated by it. It had not been that long since Roxas had last been to Destiny Island, but it felt like a completely different world now. The island the blonde remembered was one he had always considered one of the few remaining sanctuaries for him to run to - a place with a relaxing beach, where he could listen to the methodical sound of the waves rushing in and out across the sand, where he could watch the sun set in solitude, or where he could spend time with the people that meant the most to him. It had served as a refuge for himself and his two closest friends even when things seemed to be spiralling out of their control, and it was a place that made him feel like there was still hope out there, and there were still things worth fighting for in the universe. And his most recent encounter here with the Princess of Heart...well. It had left another memory etched in the keyblader's mind that would not so easily be eroded.

But now? The darkness seemed to have swallowed up all the hope that had once flourished in the home world of his Other. The beautiful beach were so many memories had been made had been ripped apart, and strangers now populated the area rather than familiar faces. Roxas forced himself to take step after step along the broken face of the beach, his bright blue eyes seemingly the only point of light in the area as they scanned his surroundings for anything that he could recognize - but to no avail. He knew that it was in his best intentions to continue to lay low within the Organization and do nothing to align himself with either the darkness or the light, but...he just could not stand back and watch this world be destroyed! It may not have been his home world personally, but whether he liked to admit it or not, Roxas still held some of Sora's memories, and a lot of Sora's feelings - and a strong sense of possession for Destiny Island existed within him. Besides, he had painted his own memories there as well, and they were ones that he wanted to keep.

Roxas needed a source of hope, a reminder of the good that still existed, to carry him forward - taking that away from Destiny Islands had been a step too far by the darkness.

XIII suddenly paused, listening...he could hear something in the distance, further up the beach and closer to the small settlement there that he knew had been Sora's home. When he began to move forward again, this time he was running along the broken ground, feeling drawn towards the settlement - something was happening, something was wrong...someone was there, almost calling out to him, even if it was subconsciously. When he arrived on the edge of the scene, he stopped dead in his tracks once more, sliding to a halt as blue orbs widened. Brunette spikes and mirroring blue eyes - it was his Other. Sora had come back to his home as well...almost as soon as Roxas had arrived, he watched the other boy suddenly seem to emenate some sort of power, and then his once red, blue, and black clothes suddenly became black and white, and not one but two keyblades appeared in his hands. Roxas vaguely remembered that his Other was also able to wield two keyblades at once, probably because he himself was able to - and that was all because of Xion, he could never forget that again.

Roxas' gaze shifted ahead of his Other than, looking for whatever was provoking him - after all, he highly doubted Sora would suddenly go into an attacking mode without just cause. His eyes finally rested on a figure standing near some sort of tree house - a sickly looking figure at that, with snow white hair and a white, tattered jacket carrying some sort of bulky ranged weapon. His very figure seemed to scream darkness, and Roxas' eyes narrowed in anger. So, this was one of the culprits, was he? Surely he would pay...he would pay for what he had done to this island, what he had done to its people, what he had done to Sora....and what he might have done to Kairi.

Another feeling suddenly pulled at Roxas from the inside, and he turned his gaze away from the scene before him to look off into the distance. Another familiar presence...could it be....VIII? But, why would Axel come to defend Destiny Island as well? Of course, the ginger did have his own memories there with Roxas and Xion to protect, but at the same time, Roxas was mildly surprised if that feeling he felt was Axel's presence. But then, no matter how long Roxas was friends with the other man, he never seemed to know everything about the Flurry of Dancing Flames, and Axel never ceased to surprise him about one thing or another. Well, no matter what his reasoning for being there was, if it truly was him - Roxas was more than grateful. There was no one alive that he was closer to than Axel, and no one that he trusted more - and no one he would rather have at his side in a tight situation.

Suddenly, Roxas heard a bit of a sound that seemed to be coming from overhead. Once more, his gaze snapped away from where he had been looking to look towards the dark heavens that replaced the once starry and mystical sky that had never failed to be clear. There, amongst the swirling clouds, was another silhouetted figure. XIII was quite certain it was not a heartless, but another person....but the aura around this person was unlike any he had ever experienced from a normal person before. The darkness had never felt so heavy, so overwhelming, and so real. For a moment, the blonde did nothing but stare stupidly into the sky, stuck by the feeling that this man or beast or whatever he was was giving off, until he noticed the power forming between the man's hands....and that he was directly above Sora.

His mind plummeting back to the present, Roxas quickly summoned Oathkeeper and Oblivion into his hands, spinning them both around for just a moment to be certain he had a comfortable grip, pleased at how he never seemed to have to get used to them - the keyblades never failed to feel like extensions of himself. With that, his blue eyes narrowed dangerously towards the mysterious figure in the sky. "Don't even think about it!" his voice cried out above the rest of the noise in the area in anger - he was not going to let any of these people that had destroyed the Island get away with it...and he felt more defensive towards his Other than he ever imagined that he would. Of course, his deep loyalties still laid with Axel and Xion, but...he was not going to count Sora out, either, let alone let someone take a cheap shot at him from above.

As soon as the words had left his mouth, Roxas threw Oathkeeper into the air, directly aiming the weapon at the figure of the man. He knew that the hit would be less than devastating if it made it, but his only hope at the moment was to block the man's concentration and keep him from unleashing his powerful attack on the brunette below him. If the man's attack thus turned to Roxas, then so be it...in situations like these, XIII had always been known to be a bit more rash even than his Other in his actions.

[emil]

No one... Well, not one in Emil's range of sight. Her eyes closed, a thought passed by her mind as she wished to leave right then and there. Thinking that no one was willing enough to protect a world that appears to be just a lost cause at the moment. Until...

"This... is our island!!!" Her eyes snapped open, turning her body as she noticed a brunette spiky headed boy. His expression was clear, angered and raged from the fact that this island had fallen to darkness. Surprisingly, Emil was shocked to see someone like him around here. A boy probably near the same age of Emil... here to protect a world? But then again... wouldn't Emil do the same for her world if it fell to darkness? Most likely, not because she was king of her people... but because it was her home, filled with memories of her brother, but even so....

Emil took a step forward in the direction of the boy, but pause at the sight of him... transforming?! Who was this boy and why did he wield such strange weapons? Her questions would be put on hold for now as her eyes followed where the direction the boy was staring at, spotting a white haired male dressed in red. Automatically, Emil knew who this was... G Slayer... The person that assisted her master in taking over this world, that would also mean she would need to help him. Though inside her mind, she didn't want to, but if her master's wish was to keep this world in darkness... then so be it, she needed all the help she could get.

With a small sigh, Emil once again tried to take a step forward but heard rather psychotic laughter from above. Quickly turning her head to stare upward as she notice... a clown? Clearly this was no user of the light as he seem to be focused on the boy Emil just saw, well... no use in helping G Slayer now. Was she even needed in this battle? The urges of her moving to the sideline and just watching rushed through her body, feeling no need to fight a senseless battle. She turned, wishing just to walk away from all of this.

"Don't even think about it!"

Her body froze as that voice seem to echo the area, turning her head as she spotted another boy not too far from her, shouting towards the clown within the air and seem to have thrown his weapon toward the clown. Crud, she was needed after all. There goes the need of 'no need to fight' for her.

"Think about yourself!" Emil shouted as a somewhat reply.

Gripping her sword tightly by her side, her expression changing to a one serious for battle. Her eyes narrowed and she dash toward the blond male for a closer range, she leaped into the air as she brought the sword down to the boy. Knowing attacking the one that seems to be distracted would be better then battling the boy that seemed to be in rage just awhile ago.

[axie]

Walking out of the Secret Place meant walking right into total chaos.

Axel probably could have predicted that, as the shouting from outside rebounded against the stone and quickly turned walking into running--what, was he late to the fight of all things--and he discovered that words were becoming actions in short order. Sora (shining, dependable Sora, already on the offensive with Keyblades glinting light in the darkness) had already lost his temper at a white-haired stranger (shabby-looking, connected? Possibly, or Sora could be overreacting to seeing his islands like this) and Sora looked like he had that in the bag so Axel just wanted to stay out of his way. Meantime, Roxas--Well, where there's Sora--was attacking--someone--clown? What--but taking it all in at a glance meant there wasn't time for questions. There was only time to notice that someone else was running in to attack Roxas with a shout, and Roxas could probably hear him--her?--but Axel wasn't going to take the chance of his best friend having an off moment or getting struck while his attention was split. Clown guy seemed focused on Sora, but that didn't mean he wouldn't turn around and attack Roxas instead. So the same twisted chain of memories that made Roxas leap to Sora's defense looped around the empty space in Axel's chest and dragged him into this for certain, like it or not.

The Flurry took both feet off the ground and hopped right back into a swirl of flame and darkness that brought him just close enough to dart in and defend, willing one chakram into nonexistence with a swirl of blistering heat and snapping it to catch the blade in the spikes and defer the power of the blow to the empty space on his right. He followed that up with a close range fireball meant more to knock the stranger back or warn them off than do actual damage. "Don't think so!" The exertion knocked his hood down, but that worked out in his favor when he glanced over his shoulder at Roxas to flash a little wink that said I got this one. Though that glance was also in part to make sure Roxas was okay so far--old habits, after all--eyes flickering briefly to his chosen target before whirling on Axel's to make sure she wasn't mounting a counterattack. He called a second chakram and cycled them familiarly with an easy smirk, words slip-sliding oiled and smooth from his lips. "Guess I can't fault you for pickin' on someone your own size, but can't you see he's busy?" One slender eyebrow went up. "Rude~."

[gslayer]

[OOC: Due to some problems on my side, this post might be a little short. I won't really have great amounts of time these few weeks. Sorry. Oh, and the door was already destroyed when G Slayer left the building...]

G Slayer didn't really care much on how Sora changed outfit or what weapons he carried. He'd have acted all the same if a monster jumped at him in a happy mood for a hug. However, the speed that the boy came at him with, he might be agile and well at handling his weapon, but he was still far from being similar to Genesis and stood no chance at defending from the quick attacks the boy threw at him. Being hit by the two keyblades he flew back inside the treehouse against the wall.

After this he immediately pulled up his gunblade and shot at the boy from inside. The shot was to stun the boy in place. While he had shot at the boy he walked forward and outside the treehouse. There he came to notice that many others had already appeared. He only looked over them for a moment before turning his full attention on the angered boy again, which might be the first to go down here.

[Sora]

(OOC: Okay, my bad G Slayer. Just needed something to tell Sora who was the enemy, and Emil doesn't look the type. xD)

The keyblades which had swung forward with true precision hit the ghastly-looking man back through the already-destroyed treehouse door, and not wanting to destroy the treehouse in his rage, Sora was about to hit the darkness user with Final Arcana, a keyblade skill that would have made a powerful finishing move on the clone. However, a voice familiar rang out to him after the settling of the sound of cracking wood, and Sora had to turn around to confirm with his eyes the presence he had felt that had allowed him to summon Two Become One. The aforementioned keyblade and Bond of Flame moved between him and the villain he had attacked as if in subconscious reflex, to block any attack the man might make with his blade, just for a few moments while Sora registered what was going on behind him. There the Keyblade Master had just turned in time to see the familiar face throwing up Oathkeeper towards a target that was out of his sight, a figure wearing the infamous Organization cloak. It didn't take Sora long after seeing Oathkeeper in action whirling past him to register that the only other user of his keyblade had to be his Nobody, and a surprised smile appeared on his face.

The instant he recognised his Other, his head whipped around to register the dark figure above him that Roxas had been attacking. The moment he saw that familiar face covered with make-up, his oceanic blue eyes locked on him instantly narrowed, his lips forming into a snarl. He had seen this clown in places where soon after, trouble would instantly follow, and Sora confirmed in his mind that his eerie clown-like appearance was indeed a bad thing. He had seen him once before for the first time when he had come to help Hercules take back Olympus Coliseum from the darkness, a erratic man who questioned him whether they should join in on the fighting in the ring. Sora had gotten a bad feeling he was not in it for the fun of competition, but for the violence, and seeing him charging up a purple ball spell aimed at him only made this resolute in his mind.

He turned away quickly before the keyblade hit the dark jester, trusting Roxas's weapon would handle the situation, but also in responce to the feminine voice that had countered Roxas's taunt in battle. Sky blue eyes turned back to his Nobody as the innocent looking girl he had seen before leaped for him with his sword. "Look out!" Sora could only think of blurting out in warning before the tip of the girl's blade met his Other's flesh. How could he have known a sweet-looking girl of his age could turn out to be a bad guy!? That was the kind of mistake that was about to cost Sora the well being of his soul's manifest, and Sora was about to sacrifice his own defense in those few precious seconds by throwing a keyblade out with telekinesis to protect his Nobody, when the second presence Sora had suspected in the area suddenly appeared to save the day.

A Chakram burst into the fray and blocked the shot, held out by the arm attached to the body of the elusive Nobody that had cryptically helped out Sora in his last big adventure, and it was this presence that rocked Sora to his very core the most. It had angered him the moment he had learned he had gotten to Kairi before him and kidnapped her to be held prisoner by Organization XIII just because of him, but he had made up for it and more when Axel had fought alongside him and sacrificed his own life to save them all from the massive army of Nobodies that had attacked them in Betwixt and Between. If it hadn't also been for Axel who used the last of his power to open the portal to The World That Never Was, Sora would have never been able to make sure Kairi and Riku were okay, and saved Kingdom Hearts from the Organization... and all because his Nobody had made the red-head Nobody feel like he had a heart. He remembered those words well, and held them to his heart, and he bowed his head slightly in an attempt to hide the tear that streaked out of his eye and down his cheek.

Who's tear was it... Roxas's, or his? He had a strong connection to his Nobody as if he were an altered extension of himself, which he was, but he liked to believe the expression of emotion had been his. And it had happened not only because he appreciated the devotion made towards the sacrifice, which wasn't for him but didn't even need to be asked for, but it was a tear of sudden joy from it overwhelming his senses. He almost didn't want to let himself hope that the Nobody had been when he saw the Bond Of Flame keyblade burst to life in his hands, but even though Nobodies weren't meant to exist, Sora was happy Axel existed again. In the end he had proven where his heart lay, even if it wasn't in his body, which was towards true friendship. And it had been to stop others who had forsaken it for themselves and power... how many more lives had to be taken, the sacrifices made in darkness's lust for supremacy and annihilation?

”Roxas! Axel!” Sora burst out in a mixed expression of absolute surprise and relief, happy he could see his friends fighting alongside him once more. But the happiness couldn’t last forever, and of course was abruptly cut short when one of the keyblades that Sora had sightly moved to help defend his Nobody left an opening wide enough for a projectile shot to hit him straight in his chest. Sora didn’t see the man he attacked having shot him, but he felt the sudden shock in his nerves as he felt the impact from the brunt of the force in his upper torso, at such a close range it knocked him backwards and flipped him over to land hard to make a second impact on his chest. Sora landed face-down from the forced back-flip on his stomach, arms by his sides and head coming to a rest on it’s side, allowing his azure blue eyes to only catch a faint glimpse of the area beneath the floating clown. He couldn’t feel anything including a response from his body, which sent a state of panic through his mind, the swirling of his keyblades in response to this above him making him realize he still had telepathic control over his weapons which would only serve to protect himself for the moment.

His heart swelled with a volitile mix of sudden emotions - anger, surprise, joy, sadness - he only wished his body could express those emotions in action and pummel the villains in a array of synchronized keyblade moments. But his body felt and was about as responsive as a stone cold statue, and all he could do was protect himself with his keyblade’s true strength, and hope Roxas and Axel could fare well without him for a short time two on three. He might have been able to drive, but that didn’t mean in his new form he was invincible, and maybe for driving at the start of the battle this forced benching would be his penalty. Unable to move, talk, even express himself... is this how she had felt, on the inside looking out? Completely helpless... Sora hoped she hadn’t for long, because while he was, he certainly wasn’t left back or alone.

It certainly gave him time to gain perspective in her shoes for a while, starting to feel the paralyzing effect wear off so he could rejoin the battle to fight for their island.

[kefka]

Power was everything.

Power held the balance of all.

Power controlled and took lives.

Power imposed order and created chaos.

Power was all he needed.

The contours of magic played around Kefka’s fingers, drawing from his surroundings the energy needed to create a devastating Ultima spell. All that energy had begun to coalesce into an orb of blue fire, its surface churning from all the force contained within. The pulsing eyes were reflected on the clown’s mad, glinting eyes. A smile played across his lips, a full sign that he was enjoying himself or at least going to enjoy himself at the expense of a few pesky lives. Such a tiny object, the orb he held in his hand. It was no bigger than a simple beach ball yet it contained enough power to level a building with a mere flick of a finger. It had the ability to change lives and rip apart anything and everything it touched. And it was on the palm of his hand! All that destructive power splayed between his fingers. Should he choose, he could just waste the energy he had already gathered and let it all disappear back into nature. Or he could use it to create enough havoc and destruction to sate his bloodthirsty needs.

Kefka had simple tastes. Beforehand, the simple thrill of victory over those less deserving was enough to drive him forward. Then, the discovery of magic and what it could do to warp the reality of their world had driven him further on, plunging through uncharted waters and coming out with unparalleled, though illegitimate, power. Now, he had the power and the means to slaughter to his heart’s delight. Having taken the gift of magic, Kefka saw the world for what it was. A sick, broken pastiche of hatred and torture, created for the sole purpose of numbing the pain of living while supplying the pain in equal measures. It was imperfect, a broken jewel no better than scrap. People toiled for a chance for peace yet are too afraid to see the truth. Nothing they do will ever amount to anything once they’re gone. Everything they worked for, strived for, all of it would return back to dust. It was all so pointless.

Existence is flawed and broken. That is why it needed to be destroyed.

And Kefka had the power to do just that.

A small giggle escaped his mouth as Kefka watched the ball of magic in his hands contort and settle into a sphere of blue light. Enough energy had finally been gathered that he could at last unleash power that could devastate entire countries with the right application of force. He felt that heady atmosphere that signaled incoming bloodshed. He let out a sigh at the intoxicating ambience that came in the middle of battle. Shivers of excitement ran up and down his spine as Kefka slowly floated down towards the beach, just in time to see a long, white object spinning towards him. Instinctively, Kefka held out his free hand, keeping the sphere of magic away from its trajectory. The weapon smashed against his hand and fell into the ocean, leaving Kefka with a broken hand. “OW!” He yelled in pain, clutching the injured hand against his chest. He was master of the pain and soon he barely felt it. He had higher priorities than mere injuries. Mad eyes scanned the area only to grow wide with confusion.

Had he spent so much time gathering magic that he had forgotten to mind his surroundings? Sloppy, sloppy work. Beforehand, he had only seen the key-wielding dork that had vexed him so. Now, more participants had entered the fray, trying to add their swords to the melee. The brat with the key was down on the ground, paralyzed by some sort of attack, two keys floating above him. A sallow-faced man stood on top of a treehouse, a gun held slack in his hands, staring at the boy he had just felled. A man after my own heart Kefka thought drolly before setting his eyes on a pair fighting on the beach. He paid no attention to them, seeing as he was unfamiliar to the two warriors. Finally, Kefka saw in his sights one lone figure, clad in black.

And he was holding a giant key.

Bloodlust took over Kefka at the sight of another damned key. Where do these idiots come from? Was he now cursed to be annoyed by adolescent jocks who couldn't be bothered to live normal lives and instead decided to pester him? Seeing as the boy he knew was currently down for the count, this one must’ve been the one who attacked him. He didn’t want to waste an Ultima on an untested foe so Kefka pointed one broken finger at the boy, wincing slightly from the pain. “Do you brats grow on trees?” He screeched before sending out a string of lightning bolts. If this one was as competent as the one now on the ground, he’d have no problem dealing with a simple Thunder spell. No need to waste something as powerful as Ultima.

[roxas]

Everything was happening so quickly - attacks, defences, counterattacks, evasions....from more people than Roxas had been aware were even in the vicinity to start a multi-way battle. However, the feeling of such chaos sent an adrenaline rush through Roxas' body that was comparable to any number of extreme emotions, and thus he relished the feeling. He felt like he was finally fighting for something of his own choice, something that HE actually cared about rather than simply doing mission after mission and battle after battle simply because he was told to do so, or worse - because it was his 'innate duty.' No, this time he was fighting for something that he really believed in, and truly felt for whether that was possible or not. And he could not have asked for two better people fighting at his side.

Bright blue orbs followed Oathkeeper's path after it left his fingers, watching with satisfaction as it slammed into the mysterious floating figure's hand. It disappointingly did not cause the clown to lose his energy attack, but it at least distracted him from unleashing it on Sora for the moment, and that would have to be good enough for now. After all, every single second counted in a battle like this one, so even giving Sora an extra ten seconds of not having to defend from two attackers at once was something. However, Roxas had not considered the fact that HE might need to be doing just that, and his attention was roused by a sharp female voice only a moment before he saw her leap into the air from out of nowhere.

It was another strange face - a girl that appeared to be close to his own age, and at first glance....he would not have labelled her as someone fighting for the darkness. However, considering she was attacking him and sort of defending the clearly evil clown, he knew that had to be the case. Her attack startled him, and for a moment he found himself simply frozen as he watched her feet leave the sand and her hands raise a sword, all as if in slow motion. However, at the very last moment the Nobody had the sense to throw his body out of the line of impact, rolling through the sand rather ungracefully, but managing to only catch her sword along the top of one of his arms. The pain sent a shooting, stinging feeling through his entire body from the point of impact - but it could have been worse. A lot worse. At least she had not managed to hit his head.

Almost as if on cue, Roxas heard another familiar voice - one he had been waiting to hear. Axel's snarky comments brought the faintest of smirks to Roxas' face as he quickly pushed his body up out of the sand, using his newly injured arm a bit gingerly but deciding it was bearable for the moment. Again, though, Roxas had little time to think or even say anything before he heard the figure from above shout something about growing on trees, and then heard the unmistakable crackle of a Thunder spell. The spell hit the sand near XIII's feet, and he felt himself propelled into the air once more, but this time not by choice.

When he landed with a grunt, the blonde's eyes were already flicking about looking for any other attack he was unprepared for. He mentally cursed himself for being overconfident again, and for letting his personal thoughts run away with him and cause him to sacrifice necessary attention for the battle. Those big blue eyes did not fall on another attack, however - instead, they fell on a downed comrade. "Sora!" Roxas' voice cut through the sounds of the battle as he once again pushed himself to his feet, rushing the short distance to his Other's side. The brunette boy was laying on the ground with his keyblades circling above him, and the Key of Destiny knew it had to be that white-haired man's doing. A concerned look crossed Roxas' face for a moment before kneeling at the boy's side and shaking him a bit with his free hand. He had to wake up...he just had to. Roxas needed his help - and deep down inside, the Nobody knew that this was, first and foremost, Sora's island. "Come on, Sora, I know it takes more than just that to keep you down," Roxas then stated, the meaning behind his words meant to be half encouraging, and half just desperate pleading.

Rising back to his feet, Roxas extended his one empty hand, summoning Oathkeeper back into the light from where it lay dejected in the surf from the clown's evasion, and then back into his hand. He took an attack stance near his Other's body, hoping he would be able to protect him until he could get up and fight again on his own - but concerned eyes flicked between the white-haired man, the clown above, and then back to his best friend now facing off with the girl. If something happened to Axel while he was with Sora....no, it was not something he wanted to think about, nor something he could afford to that the moment.

Roxas knew he had to do something to keep the white-haired man at bay before he could resume his attack on the clown, and his eyes narrowed dangerously as he forced them to remain focused on the man before him. "Back off!" he then yelled, pointing both Oathkeeper and Oblivion at him before shooting a powerful Fira spell through them in an attempt to at least gain some more time...a few more precious seconds. For Sora. For Axel. For himself.

[emil]

She did, it was a hit. But why did she feel ungrateful about it? This boy before her was her enemy and she had to fight. Did she...? Forget it, it's no time to think! Emil lifted her sword once more, in attempt to attack the blonde again, but her sword was stopped by this strange weapon. Her eyes widen as it moved to see who had intercept her attack. It was a male, with fire red hair. She did a quick back flip to avoid the fireball used as a warning, stumbling a bit from it as she retain her stance.

She made a 'tch' sound before checking her surround, taking everything in all at once. The spiky brown haired boy knew the other two light users and they knew him. So these light users knew each other? How... sweet. She felt slightly jealous toward her enemies. They knew each other and fought along side each other, but she didn't know G Slayer or the clown above. Were they so different...?

She snapped out of thought as her eyes landed on the blonde once more, watching as he received an attack from the clown from above. Shoot. No one seem to be holding back. Not even her. What was her reason for fighting here anyways? Was it only because this was her master's wish? To defend what he already claimed? It didn't... feel right.

A small sigh passed Emil lips as she finally spoke once more, this was directed to the red haired male. "I know." A faint smile appeared on her face, ignoring the others for now as this red haired male was her only focus at the moment. "Please, stay alive." With that said, she rushed forward once more, her blade ready in her hand. Suddenly, she slid on the sand slightly as she stabbed her sword within the sand, allowing spikes of ice to emerge from the ground and rush toward the red haired male. She guessed this would fit since she noted the male used fire magic of some sort.